So Happy I Could Die
by BehindBeautifulEyes
Summary: Angie is dangerously obsessed with Sodapop, and captures him, but in the process is forced to take his brothers as well. What torment will the Curtis boys undergo in her basement?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this idea popped in my head one night while I couldn't sleep. Not sure if I'll finish it. Reviews and constructive criticism is loved. :)

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"Gross Angie, that's just gross!" a petite little blond girl exclaimed, wrinkling her little nose up in disgust. The girl named Angie simply smirked.

"Oh Maria, you silly little biased girl. You dress up that boy in nice clothes and he's a joy to look at. If you weren't so stupid, you'd probably squirm when he walked by."

Maria's lip stuck out in a pout. She said nothing about how insulted she felt, because she was used to Angie's typical meanness. There were no other words for it, Angie was bitch. But she was rich bitch, and being a social climber, Maria felt forced to hang out with her to achieve the popularity she so much desired. Everyone hung around Angie at least once. She threw the best parties in town, and had some wacky ideas. She was also built perfectly, her hair was a shining copper color and her eyes were the lightest shade of brown, almost gold. Only one other girl in the school compared to her, and that was Cherry Valance. Angie envied her. She hated Cherry for being prettier than her, and often busied herself with plans to embarrass the girl, ones that she hardly followed through.

"I just don't see how a girl like you could have a crush on a greaser…" Maria said, contradicting her thoughts. Maria was pretty sure Angie would fit in quite well with the rough, mean greaser girls. It made sense for her to like greasers. They were dirt, and if she weren't rich and pretty, she'd be as hated as they were.

They had reached the corner of the street where the two parted ways. Maria didn't live so far from Angie, neither of them lived so far from the school. They walked home together often.

"Well Marie, don't worry your slow little brain about it. I have much to attend to, I will probably not be at school tomorrow."

Then she left, leaving Maria stunned and speechless. She scurried off before evil Angie could say something mean to her again.

Angie was in high spirits. All of the materials needed to enact her grand plan were in place as of today. Tonight would be the night that she did what she had so long wanted to do.

On the porch of her tall, majestic home was a package. Angie cackled as she tore the box open. Six needles filled with liquid were wrapped in several layers of thin paper. She took one and pressed on it ever so slightly, watching with adoration as one little drop oozed out. She tossed it back into the box and squealed with excitement as she scooped it up in her skinny arms and headed straight to the basement.

Her parents were pretty much never home. They hated their little imp of a daughter, and often went on 'business trips' to get away from her. If they were home, they avoided her at all costs, even if this meant handing her a two hundred dollar bill and not even asking what she was going to spend it on. They despised her that much.

This week they were absent, spending a week in the tropical sanctuary of Hawaii.

Angie walked around her basement, which she'd converted with ease into a torture room. It had already been creepy as hell – no need to add spiders or paint the walls. All she'd needed was shackles. They were hammered into the brick wall, about ten sets aligned the right wall. She wouldn't have used them all, but they came in bulk, and she couldn't waste the others, besides, they looked good dangling there.

She sighed with content, placing her hands on her hips. She only needed to put a few more things in order, and then she would be fully prepared for the night that awaited.

She went upstairs to the phone and called a football player she had once given a cooler full of booze to. He owed her, and if he wouldn't comply, she would tell his parents and the principle. You can't lose your scholarship can you?

He would assist her using his great physical condition, muscles and all, to her advantage. I can't tell you what though, because that would just ruin the story.

Then she prettied up. Of course, she wanted to look absolutely gorgeous when it happened. She curled her hair, applied mascara and red lipstick.

"I look sexable." She said in praise of the girl that stared back at her through the mirror.

The football player arrived only to be dazzled by Angie. She was already pretty. Now that she had fixed up, she was downright gorgeous.

"You know Angie, I broke up with my girlfriend just a minute ago…"  
"Shut it you sleazy bastard." She hissed, smacking away his hand. "You are only here to help me. You say a word about this to anyone and I'll slit your throat, you hear?"

He gulped nervously, squirming under her ferocious glare. She then bared her teeth in a menacing smile.

"You understand, good." She relaxed from her cat like stance. "I will be driving."

She eased off of the front porch and got in the vehicle, which was a rusted, cheap car she bought so she wouldn't stick out in the lower class neighborhood. The baffled boy took a moment to come to his senses. He knew he should get away from her, that there was something wrong with the girl, but he couldn't risk losing everything he had worked for. Besides, her word was better than his – she was richer. No one would believe him if he reported her.

"You can't be so slow when you're hauling him out here." She resumed once she had turned out of the neighborhood.

"What? Who?" the boy began to panic.

"The boy, stupid!"

"You're going to kill him?"

"Are you kidding me? Why would I kill _him_?" The girl's anger left her face and a serene expression took it. Her lips curved upwards.

The football boy, Gary, said nothing. He only worried what his mom would think of him being out so late on a school night. He had been told to arrive at one in the morning, but because of complications, he'd gotten there around two. Had his parents found he was gone yet?

The car halted to a stop. Gary felt something slap his cheek, and looked over, startled, to see an annoyed Angie. He pressed his cold, shaking fingers to the spot. It stung.

"You stand by the door, if any comes, you use this." She handed him two needles. He wanted to ask what they were, more precisely, what they held, but was too afraid to. He only nodded and followed as she proceeded like a slithering snake into the house.

They never lock their door, she knew this. She would only have to get past all the other sleepers. It would be a hard task, carrying an unconscious boy out without being heard, but she was sure she could do it. Besides, she wouldn't be doing the carrying.

She crept into the living room.

"You keep as quiet as a mouse and don't do a damn thing until I say so." She whispered to the boy, who hesitated by the door. He froze and sucked in a quick breath. He was too afraid to even breathe.

She saw another boy lying beside him once she had reached the cluttered bedroom. It was his little brother, she realized. The one who was a freshman at her high school. How would she get past him?

Angie went over and carefully reached for the older boy's wrist. She whipped out a needle and shoved it back in her pocket once she was finished with it. She noticed with angry astonishment that the other boy had somehow woken in the process.

"Its mommy," she said in a sweet, soft whisper. "Go back to sleep." She could be so deceiving, that Angie.  
It should've woken him up, her saying that. His mom had been dead for a few months now, but instead it soothed him into a deeper slumber. It was easy for him to pretend that the past was all a horrible dream, that he would wake up and see his mother again.

Angie stood back to observe the scene. There was no way to take one without waking the other, so without wasting anymore time, she grabbed the younger one's wrist and injected the liquid. Two down, one to go.

He was at the end of the hallway, so he couldn't be a problem. Angie tiptoed back to the living room, where Gary still stood rigidly by the door.

"Take both of them out to the car, the first bedroom." She added when he held his hands up in confusion. Angie would've left the younger boy there because he wasn't the target, but the drug she had used would be easy to detect. The affected boy would be rushed to the hospital when he didn't wake, and the hospital would find that Angie had ordered the same drug a week prior to the incident. They would search her house and find that she had a prisoner in her basement. That couldn't happen.

It went fine at first. By the time the second one had been transported though, something went wrong. A floorboard creaked. The oldest one wasn't exactly a heavy sleeper. Angie heard him stirring as Gary struggled to get out the door.

They could not get away in time. He was heading towards the living room where Angie stood. There could not be a witness. Angie withdrew another needle from her pocket and hid it behind her back. Her mind was quick, her fingers were nimble, and her intellect was astounding for someone of her age. She mussed her hair and blinked until her fake tears came out. By that time, the oldest had arrived, and he was staring at her, dazed and confused.

"Sir, where am I? My boyfriend got me drunk and…I just turned up outside of this house I thought…"

As she had expected, he drew nearer to her. He was going to check her over for bruises or scrapes, and as his eyes scanned her, she pulled out the needle, grabbed his wrist and struck it all in one quick unbroken motion. Once she had injected the liquid, she stuffed the third empty needle in her back pocket.

Being brawny, he struggled for quite a bit, but the drug was too powerful. He finally collapsed onto the floor with a thud. Angie smirked.

Gary appeared, poking his head in inquisitively.

"Take him, I'll help you."

He was quite heavy. Even a football player struggled with him. Nonetheless, he was thrown in the backseat with the others.

"Now, all you need to do is help me strap them up. Then you're done, and you can go home, and we'll never speak again."

The befuddled football player accepted.

"What are you going to do with them?"

"Oh I won't kill them, I assure you of that."

He didn't inquire any further. He was sure he didn't want to know what those poor greasers were about to go through.


	2. Chapter 2

I am almost done with the next chapter, so you'll see it soon. Probably tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews! :)

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None of them remembered much. The first one to wake was the oldest, the big and brawny, overworked Darry. He glanced around the room with a mild curiosity at first, but when lucidity set in, he began to panic. He saw that his feet were chained together, and his hands were hanging above his head, attached to the wall with a seemingly unbreakable metal chain. He tried to squeeze his hands out of the wrist irons, but was unable. After several minutes of struggling, he gave up. He looked over at his brothers, wondering whether he should wake them or not. Before he could decide, a voice sounded from a dark corner.

"Don't wake him up dimwit, he's tired." She growled.

He could see nothing more than a shadow. He didn't recognize the shrill voice. He had to assume that she wasn't the one who had done this to them, because women don't do those sort of things. She had to be the prisoner of some maniac serial killer, and maybe she had come to their aid.

"Where are we?" he beseeched, hushing his tone as to not wake his siblings.

"Well brainy, if you actually took in your surroundings you would see that there are no windows, and that the floor is sloped slightly. From that you should be able to conclude that we're in a basement, on a house on a hill. You could go even further and try to think of neighborhoods that lie on hills, and then you could guess that it's possible you are in a wealthy area."

Her voice was like millions of bees and wasps stinging repeatedly all over your skin, a voice that was painful to hear, but the speaker was so vicious that you were afraid to shriek or scream. He dismissed his theory. He couldn't assume anything at the moment, he realized, especially not in such a disoriented state.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Oh, I don't want much. I never have. Since that day, I haven't wanted anything else. It's not so much to ask is it?"

Darry said nothing else. He didn't want to tangle with someone who was as nuts as she sounded. He began trying to think of a way out while Angie sat in her corner, hugging her knees to her chest, reminiscing as she stared at the boy in the middle.

It had been a clear autumn day. The golden sun loomed overhead, a breeze ruffled the colorful trees, the leaves were whispering to her. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked absolutely stunning in this light. She had managed to get her car to a gas station. She was waiting for someone to fix it as she leaned on the passenger side door, wondering when or if one of her parents would swing by and give her a ride home. Not that she cared. She hated them.

"They can go to hell." She grumbled under her breath, gritting her teeth angrily.

Someone approached her from behind. His shirt had oil stains, his golden hair was greased back, his jeans had holes in them, but nevertheless, he was gorgeous.

"This your car?"  
She turned, and upon spotting him, stifled a gasp. Her heart stopped. Suddenly she recalled the first time she had tried alcohol, how it lifted burdens off her shoulders and felt warm pulsing through her veins - how it sent her into a state of delirious ecstasy. She was not herself anymore.

"Y-yes."

"You want me to take a look at it?"

"Um…y-yeah."

She groaned internally, wondering why she wasn't her usual smart ass self. She wondered where all her bitterness and narcissism had gone. Her face flushed when he looked up from the hood a few moments later.

"It's nothing much, I could have it done in an hour."

She regained some of her hateful self that moment, because she realized she would be stuck there for an hour. It was a school night. She desperately wanted to be home, or at least out doing something fun.

"Could you make it snappy? I don't have a ride."

"Sure,"

She laid in the backseat of her car while he did the repairing. She stared at the ceiling as the sunlight streamed down through the window, making her eyes glow golden. Her hand was on her wrist, always searching for a pulse – a sure sign that she was indeed alive. She recalled the night she had allowed things to go too far, a night that had occurred only a few weeks ago.

Alcohol had been her best friend. Heck, everyone admitted she was more likable when she was drunk or at least a bit tipsy. It made her feel better too. It wasn't the rush, no, it was the sudden blur of the lines between dreams and actuality. Between (hopeless) hope and (horrific) reality. But she took it too far. Her parents were gone, she'd had a party, and of course, she'd had a ton of alcohol there. She woke up on the floor, barely alive. No one had stayed to take care of her or to even check if she was breathing. They'd left her there. This didn't concern her –she hadn't even flinched when a boy had been stabbed at her last party-, but the fact that she could scarcely remember where she was did, especially when she was in her own house.

Two days later she finally managed to get up. Angie had no doubt that she could've killed herself with as much as she'd drank that night, and vowed not to drink again. If she had one drink, she'd want another. She couldn't become addicted, because that would make her needy, and Angie was not needy. She needed nothing and no one. She wanted a lot of things –she would get them in due time-, but she would never need anything or anyone.

"Well, if you have any more problems just come up here."

She sat up, rather slowly, and reached for her purse in the front seat.

"You don't have to pay me."

She ignored him. She _wanted_ to pay him. Not for being nice or for fixing her car, but for being so damn sexy.

She placed a fifty in his hand, and his eyes widened.

"But…"

"I don't need it doll, I have more than enough money." She said, waving him off. She then climbed into the front of the car, started the engine, and drove off, giving a small honk of the horn as a farewell.

Since then she'd tried to come up with a reason to visit again. She often drove by as slow as her car would allow and stared at him. He was so intent when he was working on a car that he never noticed. She had once discreetly followed him home.

If this were a movie, the camera would now pan upwards from the dreary basement to the third floor of the house where Angie's room was located. On her walls she had plastered countless sloppy drawings of the boy she'd never even caught the name of. She drew him sweating as he leaned over a car, she drew his handsome, flawless face, she drew him as a groom with his glorious bride – herself.

Angie came back to the present. The boy was muttering something.

She jumped up.

"What is he saying?"

"He always mumbles in his sleep."

Angie settled down again. It would be awhile before the others woke up. They weren't as strong as Darry was, and therefore would not be able to overcome the drug as quickly. Even Darry himself was beginning to nod off a little.

Angie had talked to her parents a day ago, while the unconscious boys were hanging in the basement. She'd encouraged them to take another week off, perhaps even two. They needed no convincing. Angie didn't suggest, she demanded. The sound of her voice, like nails on a chalkboard, was venomous to her parents' ears. They would do anything to avoid hearing it again.

She couldn't, however, make up an excuse not to go to school. It was now Monday, and school would start in a few hours. As much as she wanted to stare at her prince, she could not.

Angie stood, her weak knees aching in protest. Still, she made her way over and planted a soft kiss on the lips of her prince.

"It'll be you tying me up soon." She whispered with a wicked smile, and then turned to leave. After eating and dressing for the first time in days, she left the house that morning with an assurance to herself that her prince would be awake and animated when she returned.


	3. Chapter 3

No new chapter for awhile. I have a super busy weekend and super busy week following it, so I won't get time. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and again, thanks to anyone who reviewed. I love you! lol

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"Don't you think we should at least call someone to check up on her?"

"Unless you want someone to fall victim to whatever witch craft she is stirring up, no." Mark replied sternly, giving his wife a cold glare. Her warm brown eyes became misty, and she turned away. She stared into the orange horizon that was dotted with pink clouds, and when it became too vast for her to comprehend, she focused on a silhouetted palm tree, watching as the leaves blew in the direction of the soft, sweetly scented wind.

"I just wish…" she began, her voice broken. She'd tried to bring up this topic many times on the trip. She couldn't convince her hard headed husband of anything, and she believed that if he had only been just a little bit more attentive of his daughter that she wouldn't have ended up the way she did.

"Not this again Judy, you know as well as I do that there's nothing we can do for her."

"But you've been saying that for years Mark!" she ran a hand through her silky red hair.

Mark placed his big hands on her thin white shoulders and heaved a sigh.

"Do you remember what happened a week after the funeral?"

Here we go again, thought Judy. She'd heard this story a million times, countless times it had fooled her. She'd believed him, but not anymore. It just wasn't in their genes to lose it like her daughter had.

"You found her with some sort of spell book and Lindsey's hair pin, trying to bring her back to life." Judy muttered in irritation.

"I tried to reason with her Judy, but she never would speak to me. Did you ever look in her eyes? They were empty, soulless. She's sold her soul to the devil darling."

Judy wasn't raised up as superstitious as her husband had been. His family believed in ghosts and spirits, and while Judy didn't deny their existence, she wasn't about to believe they were as common as her husband tried to say they were. If something dropped off of his desk at work, it was an ancestor who was angry with him. If he got sick, a demon was trying to possess him.

Finding his daughter with some sort of witch's book, even if she was only seven, had repulsed him. He'd had an aversion to her ever since. He feared she would send out something to possess them or create a potion to steal their souls. Her rude behavior only seemed to prove this further.

Judy had believed him, but the more time she spent away from her daughter, the more she thought of her. The more she thought of how Angie's foul attitude was the result of being spoiled rotten, not to mention losing her older sister at such a young age. Judy realized it was a perfectly normal reaction of her daughter to use any means she could to get her sister back.

But Judy also knew something else. She knew it was far too late to reverse the damage they had done to her by ignoring and avoiding her for years. Angie had only grown steadily worse. Not once had Angie cried in front of them, not even at her own sister's funeral. They weren't close before her sister's death; she had no relationship to recover with Angie. There was no base or foundation. Judy feared more than anything that she would not be able to save her daughter, not with words or money, and that her daughter would continue down the endless spiral of insanity all alone.

"She has just a few more years of high school, and she'll be out of our hands. She can go on doing what she wants; don't you think she'd be happier that way?"

Judy could only nod; because that was the best she would get out of Mark. If Mark had gotten his way, Angie would be in an asylum by now, or he would've called in a priest to exorcise her. He was never going to try to understand his daughter, and Judy had finally come to accept this.

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Angie's hair swished back and forth as she approached the school building. A group of girls huddled in a circle, sharing the latest gossip, topic: the most hated girl in the school building. A blond known as Trish was indulging the group with rude complaints about who she had claimed was her best friend only a week ago.

"I swear, that bitch is going to get it. Some girl is going to wind up smacking her in the face." Trish said, her eyes growing wide and her mouth twisting into a frown as she nodded furiously.

"Seriously, have you ever heard her talk about Cherry Valance? She hates that girl and she hasn't even done anything to her!" another girl fumed.

"Shut it, she's coming." Trish warned in a hushed, nervous tone. The group stopped its chatter. Trish began trying out her smile, hoping that it was convincing.

Angie approached, smiling sadistically at the girls whose white teeth gleamed under the morning sun. Angie knew none of them really liked her, but she was unaware that they all met up in the morning and talked bad about her. Had Angie known, she wouldn't have cared really. I may add that Angie deserved any criticism she got.

"Hey Angie! Where were you Friday?"

"Taking care of business." Angie stated, giving every girl a tight lipped smile and a nod. She knew how to play the part, how to act like she was friendly, but only when she felt like it. "Wow, Kathy, I thought your outfit was ugly Wednesday, but you've outdone it."

No one was surprised at Angie's sudden outburst. She insulted someone every morning, and lately, she seemed to enjoy picking on the new girl. She was from Canada, as a result, she dressed a bit differently. There was no need to point it out. Angie merely snickered as the girl looked down in horror and rushed away.

No one said a word to her either. Angie gets away with everything.

"Anyway, are you coming to class with me or not?"

"Oh sure Trish, you won't mind letting me copy Friday's work will you?" It was not a question, but a demand. Trish avoided looking at Angie's face as she replied a short, squeaky 'nope'.

Angie never had to try hard in school. She passed every class with ease. Whether it was her wit and intellect or her bullying, no one knew. Everyone did know, however, that several times she had paid to get out of punishment. Angie had done some pretty mean things, and not once had she gone to detention for them. It raises the question if she could cheat the law, if she needed to do so.

Lunch was what Angie considered to be her 'favorite subject'. It was a time when she would belittle her friends, often commenting on what they ate.

"Beans? That's disgusting Trish. Do you want gas when you go on a date?"

Trish rolled her eyes as a chorus of soft giggles followed. They all laughed at her because they knew that if they didn't they'd be the next target.

"Oh yes, and Carmen, if you're going to wear fake lashes, get some that look a bit more realistic."

Carmen bit her lip and peered down at her tray that held solely an apple, ignoring the chuckles that sounded around her. All of the girls hated lunch because of Angie, and she was sure that once Angie was gone for a few moments that she could convince them to kick her out of their table. She had to. She was going to start eating lunch elsewhere like the greasers did if Angie wasn't dealt with soon.

Unfortunately, speak of Angie and she appears. Carmen would not get a chance to talk to the girls for the rest of the day.

In her last class Angie was partnered up with Trish for a research assignment. They'd been pretending to read in the library when Angie spotted a certain red head.

"I swear, she just thinks she's it doesn't she?"

"Cherry's nice, you should get to know her."

Angie ignored this. The possibility of Cherry being nice was slim. If she was nice, pretty, and smart, she was too perfect and must've been created by some mad scientist, or that was what Angie reasoned anyway. Besides, if she was such a good girl, she wouldn't be dating Bob. Angie knew how often he got boozed up – he often attended her parties.

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Angie tossed her books in her locker and rushed out. She didn't bother waiting for Maria as she usually did. She took too much time smooching with her boyfriend, and Angie had better things to do than to tap her foot and grind her teeth with impatience for twenty minutes.

Yes, he should be awake by now, she thought, and he was going to fall madly in love with her whether he liked it or not.


	4. Chapter 4

Whipped this one up really quick, don't know if it's such a good chapter. Thanks for the reviews and don't be shy, I love constructive criticism. Just don't be too harsh. lol

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Angie never did particularly like the walk home, but driving was useless. She didn't feel like going early just to get a parking space, and some exercise was required to keep such a slim figure.

She cringed as she saw two little girls racing each other to their homes. Often times she'd see them. Sometimes they'd be talking to each other, others they were fussing, and sometimes they'd even wave at her with false smiles plastered on their faces. The sole reason she lingered back to wait on Maria was to escape seeing them, because they were a reminder of a distant past.

When she saw them, memories of her sister flooded her mind. When they played, Lindsey was always the queen, and Angie was always the princess. Once Angie had argued this – she wanted to be the queen. And Lindsey, with her blond curls and big hazel eyes, let her be the queen for one day, because she adored her beautiful little sister.

Angie shook her head, shook away the images of her sister smiling and laughing. Her throat ached for alcohol, her head throbbed for it.

"No, I can't do it. I won't." She muttered to herself.

She forced herself to think of the pleasure that awaited. It was enough to make her sister slip from her mind for the time being. That lovely, perfect specimen of a boy was in her basement at this very moment, and very soon, he'd be professing of his love to her. Angie cackled loudly, throwing her head back, as if something really spectacular had amused her. She then sprinted the rest of the way home and leaped up the steps to her front door.

Darry heard the door slam. He whipped his head over to Sodapop, who was lost in his thoughts.

"Soda, you remember what I said?" He half whispered anxiously. Ponyboy peered over in curiosity.

"Huh?" Sodapop looked over at his brother.

"That girl likes you, and if you're nice to her, maybe she'll let us out."

Soda was about to question how Darry knew this, but then he recalled what he had been explaining earlier, how Darry had seen that girl kiss him right on the lips before she'd left.

"Funny that I slept through that…" Soda muttered, wishing he could rub the back of his head.

"You can sleep through anything you…" Ponyboy began grouchily, when the sound of footsteps sounded from above. He snapped his mouth shut and became rigid, as did the rest of the boys.

Angie stepped down, a wide smile on her face. She was positively beaming.

"Maybe we should get to know each other,"

"Get to know each other…" Darry was beginning angrily. Angie's temper flared.

"And no sass, I'm your source of food for the moment, so I'd suggest you'd be nice."

It seemed she'd lost track of what she was saying. She picked at her nails for a moment, scowling at Darry for interrupting her perfect rhythm.

"Ahem, anyway, I'd like to know your names, since I'll need to be addressing you by _something_ while you're here."

"I'm Darry, that's Sodapop, and the one on the end is Ponyboy." He would've gestured to each of the boys, but since he had no use of his hands, he simply pointed his head in their direction.

"I think I know Ponyboy. I've seen him in the hallway at school."

"You're the one who throws all those parties." Ponyboy finally spoke up, stuttering just a bit.

"The party girl…the rich girl…the girl who gives out beer and liquor and booze…the girl whose parents are never home…" She began listing off, pacing back and forth through the basement. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I know I shouldn't be rambling in front of guests but…"

"Are you going to tell us why you have us here or not?" Darry barked.

Angie shot him an ice cold glare. She intended to continue, but saw that his mouth was still parted. He was going to yell out the moment she started up again, so she stopped.

"Oh muscle boy, you think you're tough, don't you? I think I've heard of a Darry. I've heard your story. Weren't you this big football boy?"

Darry said nothing, he bowed his head and became silent. Angie smirked, knowing she had quieted his futile attempts at getting her to talk.

"I will tell you what I want when I want, but for now, I'll promise that if I get what I want, nothing too bad is going to happen to any of you. Perhaps you'll even be happy."

Angie stopped pacing and stepped closer to the boys, mainly Sodapop.

"My Sodapop, for a boy with such a weird name, you have the most incredible eyes."

Despite the how dark his current situation was, his face lit up.

"Thanks," he said. Angie nearly melted at his smile, it was pure euphoria.

"I think you boys are hungry, you've been out for quite a few days now. I'll get you something."

Angie then rushed off, leaving the boys stunned.

"What do you think she'll get us?" Soda asked.

"I doubt she'll give us anything at all." Darry replied.

Nothing further was said. They waited for Angie with fearful anticipation.

She returned with two bowls of moldy salad, and two slices of cold pizza. She set the plates of pizza and the other bowl of salad down and walked up to Darry, an evil grin plastered on her face, well knowing that he'd hate her food choice.

"Darry, you can go first. I figured you'd want something _healthful_, so eat all of this you can; I'm only holding it for a minute."

"What about a drink?"  
"I'll get to that in a moment, your time has already started."

Darry stuck his face in the bowl and gnawed away at the lettuce and thin slices of rotten tomato. He swallowed broccoli whole just for the sake of having something in his stomach.

Angie tore the bowl away from his mouth, a disgusted look on her face.

Angie didn't speak to Soda, she just held out the slice of pizza as if she were a preschooler offering her friend a cookie. He ate it quickly, even though Angie said nothing to him of a time limit.

"Well Pony, I'm not sure about you. What is your preference?"

Angie could've cared less what Pony's preference was. She was observing how he responded to her. Darry had proved himself to be an antagonist, whereas Pony hadn't said too much.

"Doesn't matter to me," replied Ponyboy. Everyone in the room knew well how frightened he was, but it was like him to play cool.

"I guess you can have this last piece of pizza then."

She let him eat it, giving him no time frame to eat it in, just as she had done Soda.

"Didn't I fix your car a few weeks ago?" Soda finally asked. He had wanted to ease his mind of this screaming question ever since he'd seen the girl, but more than anything, he wanted something, even Angie, to block out the sound of Pony's noisy chewing.

"Yes," Angie gave him a pretty smile. He was slightly dazed for a moment. There was no denying that even if she was crazy, she was also very beautiful.

"You gave me a lot of money, and you had a real tuff car."

"That was me." She said as she ripped the remainder of the pizza crust away from Ponyboy. She discarded it in the empty salad bowl.

She took her trash, including the uneaten bowl of salad, and went upstairs with it. A moment later she returned with water bottles, the kind you use for hamsters.

She nailed a hook above each boy's head and then dangled the bottle from it. It took twenty minutes to do, and in those twenty minutes the silence screamed loudly. Nothing but the sound of hammering and breathing was made.

"Sometimes it drips, I'd give you coke, but it'd make you sticky." She directed this towards Sodapop, who was on his tiptoes, sucking down the water.

"Now that I've taken care of that, I have some questions."

Questions, merely questions? All of the boys wondered. No, something worse lurked around the corner, they were all sure of it.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the gang will have a short appearance in the next chapter. Oh, and on a side note, due to Angie, the events of 'The Outsiders' did not happen. Hope you enjoy, thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Latent rage was clear in Darry's eyes as they followed the slim figure to her refuge in the dark corner of the basement. The day before had been filled with questions, relentless questions. Angie demanded to be told everything, and she could care less how painful it was for them to tell it. She couldn't fathom missing her parents like they did, in fact, it'd be better if they were gone for good.

But it was only an interrogation. Nothing more. There was no torturing, no meds. It seemed she just wanted to know more about Soda. After awhile it became easy talking to her, it was almost casual even. When she wasn't ranting, she was an observant listener, taking in every detail, words, how they were said, and the facial expressions paired with them.

Now it was very early morning, and she was crawling into her corner.

"What are you doing down here?" Darry called out in a loud whisper.

"I got sick again. I'm trying to stay away from the…the alcohol…Damn, what does it matter to you dumbass? Go back to sleep."

If Darry wasn't being held prisoner by this girl, he would've been concerned. Since when does getting sick become a normal occurrence? And why would someone so young and rich turn to alcohol?

He didn't busy his tired mind with these questions. He was glad to oblige and fall asleep.

"I know I should go to the doctor…" Angie was muttering quietly as an image of her sister flashed before her eyes. Lindsey's round eyes were narrowed, her expression was one of disappointment. "I can't do it…I hate doctors. There's nothing wrong with me…besides the obvious."

Angie knew her sister wasn't there, she was well aware that her sister's corpse was rotting underground in the town graveyard. But she felt like Lindsey heard her somehow. Talking to herself was a sure method of problem solving, she was not hallucinating, she had not gone insane, or so she told herself that.

When Angie woke again she decided she'd better get ready to go to school. The sickness always seemed to pass after the early morning hours, so she would do fine for the rest of the day. As if it was routine, Angie pecked Soda on the lips before leaving, and this time, his eyes fluttered open. He watched with drowsy confusion as she walked up the stairs.

As soon as Darry heard the front door shut, he looked over at his two brothers.

"Soda, you're going to have to do something else. It's not working."

"He's doing all he can Darry," Ponyboy jumped in. He'd been awake for most of the night. He was unable to sleep in such an uncomfortable condition.

"Shut it Ponyboy," Darry snapped. "Look, you're going to have to flirt with her a little. If you can convince her to let you out, we have a chance."

"How do you know she'd fall for it?" Soda asked.

"She's nuts over you. Have you seen the looks she gives you? She wouldn't give up the chance to…" He didn't finish. He was judging his brother's reaction. His face drew up in slight disgust.

"You mean I have to…"

"If it gets us out of here," Darry said. He was eyeing Ponyboy with suspicion. He didn't happen to understand what they were talking about, did he? That would be a yes. Darry noticed that Pony's ears were turning awfully red.

"If I hadn't thought she was way out of my league when I first met her I would've asked for her number or something…I'm glad I didn't. She's crazy." Soda said after a short silence.

"You know, if you had, we might not be in here." Pony theorized grumpily.

"Get some sleep Pony, heaven knows you need it." Darry commanded.

Ponyboy didn't respond. He only sighed and began thinking, pessimistically, about the bleak future ahead. How long would they spend chained to a wall before they died of malnutrition? Or would she kill them in another way? His face went pale as he thought about it.

"We have to figure out what she wants. She said she'd let us go…"

"Just listen to me for once. If it doesn't get us out, it'll put her in a better mood."

They would continue to have idle conversations till Angie returned, and it would be later than usual.

"Well of course I can come over Maria, but only for an hour. I'm expecting someone at my house soon."

"Alright," Maria agreed in a tone of disappointment. She was not actually unhappy that Angie could stay a short time, actually, it overjoyed her. She couldn't wait to have that brat out of her house.

"You need new bedroom furniture May-May," Angie sneered, "this bed creaks."

"It's my grandmother's and I'm not getting rid of it."

Angie was fiddling with various objects on Maria's dresser. There was make up, some jewelry, and a postcard from her aunt reading 'to May-May'. Upon seeing that Angie had snorted and commented on what a stupid nickname it was.

"You haven't invited me over in a long time." Maria noted.

"I haven't had anyone over in awhile, and you don't need to see my house." Angie snapped back defensively. Maria's eyes widened momentarily, but she was careful not to let Angie see her reaction. Many times she and other friends of Angie had thought they'd succeeded at doing so, but they had failed. Angie saw their expressions; she only chose to disregard them.

"Did you finish Miss Smith's homework?" Maria asked, plopping down on her bed. Angie was still fiddling with jewelry on her dresser.

"If you haven't noticed, I didn't bring my books home."

"May I see it tomorrow?"

"If I'm there,"

Maria perked up a bit.

"Well why wouldn't you be?"

"I haven't been feeling well lately." Angie replied, glancing up to observe Maria through the mirror.

"That's not good. Maybe you should get it checked out." As much of a snob Maria could seem to be at times, she had a good heart. For a moment she had been genuinely concerned about Angie.

"I hate doctors. They can all go to hell."

Then her concern was dissuaded by Angie's rude response.

After a few more minutes of talking back and forth, Angie announced she had to leave, and Maria was glad to see her go.

"How did you two get along today?" Maria's mother asked as she handed her daughter a steaming dinner plate. She then sat down to enjoy the meal of potatoes and chicken with her - Maria's father got home too late to bother eating dinner.

"Fine, just fine." Maria replied as she twirled her spoon in her potatoes.

She would play with her food for nearly twenty minutes before her mother demanded that she eat. Maria would nod meekly before eating a few spoonfuls and then rushing upstairs, claiming that her stomach was bothering her. It was often like this since she'd met Angie.

Angie herself was ecstatic. She threw the door open and ran to the basement. There her three prisoners waited, hungry and eager. After she'd fed them just as she did yesterday and refilled their bottles, she dragged a chair down so that she could sit while she conversed with them.

"We've told you everything about us, why don't you tell us something about yourself?" Soda asked in an attempt to be polite and charming. He knew that girls, even insane ones like Angie, craved attention.

Angie was glad to tell the story of her heritage. It was an unusual one, and it wasn't often that she told it to anyone.

"My parents are pretty messed up." Angie began, rolling her eyes. "My grandmother on my mom's side, without knowing, married a man who was a part of a cult. So she fled from England. Of course the ship she was on sank, it was the Titanic, and she was a third class passenger, so she lost everything. But she met another man on the ship, a really rich first class passenger, and they ended up getting married. My dad's parents died on the ship, and he was just an infant, so they took him in. So my mom and dad were practically siblings, and my dad was way older than my mom, but they got married."

The boys were rendered speechless. No one could quite think of an adequate response for her tale or the sarcastic way she had told it. She acted as if she was ashamed of her high class family.

"My grandparents died when I was really little, so no, I can't tell you anything about the Titanic."

There was a silence for a moment. Soda could see Darry's eyes boring into the side of his face, but he didn't know how to begin. How do you hit on a girl when you're in his position? Heck, how do you even flirt with Angie? She's wacko!


	6. Chapter 6

Really weird chapter in my opinion, not really sure if I like it or not. Review if you like, and thanks for all the reviews I've received so far. I really appreciate it. :)

* * *

"Have they found anything out yet?" Two-Bit asked hesitantly as he approached the group of boys standing in front of the Curtis' yard. He was not his usual cocky, humorous self. His shoulders slumped, and a deep frown was on his face. There was no hop in his step, no light in his eyes, no punch line to throw at anyone. It was the same for all of the boys. They were deeply worried about the three members of their tight knit 'family' that had suddenly just disappeared.

"I think they're assuming they all ran off somewhere." Dally replied bitterly, flicking away a cigarette butt. He was well aware that the boys wouldn't break the law, but they were poor, and the police believed that all people who were less fortunate than themselves were thieves. Or so he thought anyway. Dallas Winston had a quite a dislike for the cops.

"You know as well as I do that they wouldn't do that." Two-Bit said.

"Yeah well, what are we gonna do about it, huh? We're greasers." Dally shot a glare at the usually comedic boy who was strangely solemn.

"We have to do something." Johnny uttered. Their disappearances had seriously unnerved him. Not only was he worried sick about his missing friends, he was scared at what could happen to the ones that were still present.

"He's right; they wouldn't just go off like that. They'd tell someone first. I know this isn't the work of the socs, but I just…" Steve began rambling.

"Can't wrap your mind around it?" Two-Bit finished. "It's been bugging me too. How does someone take three boys out and not leave a trace behind them?"

"You think they're dead?" Dally asked, staring at the ground.

"There's no blood though." Johnny offered up when the rest of them shrugged helplessly.

"Let's get out of here. We're not doing any good just standing here." Dally said after a silence. They walked off together, not sure of their destination. They just wanted to go somewhere away from that shabby little house that was crowded with policemen and reporters. It's not that policemen and reporters would've kept them out if they'd wanted to stay, but it was hard looking at the place they'd last seen the Curtis brothers at.

* * *

"You wasted your chance."

"I couldn't do it." Sodapop whined.

"She'll be back down in a bit, don't blow it. You're our only ticket out."

As much as Ponyboy wanted to argue with Darry for putting too much pressure on Sodapop, he didn't. He was more fatigued than he'd been in his life.

Upstairs Angie was fixing up. She curled her hair and did her makeup all while eating a warmed over dinner. She felt energetic for the first time in awhile, and she wasn't about to waste it.

Habitually, she checked the porch for the newspaper. She found the one she'd neglected to pick up this morning and read the headlines. Angie's signature wicked smile appeared and then she giggled.

When she returned to the boys she wore a sundress, her eyes were dark with make up, and her lips were a bright red. In her hand she held a newspaper.

"I think you boys ought to hear this." She announced. She unfolded the newspaper and held it out for each of them to see.

"Three boys have gone missing. Police have no leads. 'It seems,' says Officer Black, 'that they disappeared into thin air. There's no blood, no signs of foul play, not a thing out of place.' The police are considering the possibility that the boys have run off, but neighbors say this is impossible." Angie stopped. "I think you get the gist." She then folded up the newspaper and threw it to the ground.

Sodapop could no longer tolerate Darry's eyes drilling into his skull. He finally spoke up.

"You look real good, you going out on a date or something?"

"Actually, no. I just like to dress up sometimes." Angie sat down and crossed her legs, giving Soda a sweet smile.

Sodapop licked his lips nervously, then he drew in a quick breath.

"Well, you're really pretty. I don't see how you don't have a date."

That was all it took. Angie sprung up from her seat and rushed to take her place in front of Sodapop.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Of course," Soda replied.

She then leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"I can let you have a little fun tonight, if you promise not to run away."

Sodapop tried to look eager as he accepted her request, but the moment she began unchaining him from the wall with her keys, he cringed.

"You even try anything stupid and I'll use this." She threatened, pulling a small gun out of her bra. Sodapop wanted to jump out of his skin, but he remained calm.

"I won't." he swore, and he meant it.

Darry watched as Sodapop was led upstairs by the nutty girl that had held them captive for this short while that seemed like a year and wanted to slap himself. What if he got hurt?

Stepping outside of that basement for the first time in awhile made Soda wonder what it was like stepping out of jail for the first time, and he figured it would feel something similar to this. For once he felt like he shared something in common with Dally, the darkest character of the gang. He realized how frustrating it was to be pent up in a place with no sunlight, and could almost sympathize with Dally.

He observed the house, which was filled to the brim with expensive things – expensive furniture, expensive vases, expensive portraits lining the walls. The ceilings were high, there was a grand and ornate fireplace in the living room, and he saw a huge tub when he passed the bathroom. What he noticed more than anything though, was the thick film of dust that covered almost everything. The place looked haunted.

Upon seeing her bedroom, a dizzy sensation came over him, and something icky was working its way under his sticky skin. His face -although not drawn by an experienced hand, it was very apparent that it was his- was plastered everywhere. But he couldn't concentrate on it for too long. Angie was ripping off his shirt.

He could feel the passion surging out of her as she crushed her lips to his, and he couldn't return anything adequate to it. It didn't matter. Any hesitation on his part was taken as shyness by Angie.

Soda had to do very little. Angie knew what she was doing, though she swore she was still a virgin, by her standards anyway.

"I've never done anything with anyone, well, I might've, but I don't remember it. It doesn't count if you're intoxicated, does it?"

Sodapop hadn't needed to reply to that. She was too caught up to care about a word he said anyway.

Even when it was over, it was still not over. Sodapop had hoped that by some wild luck she would fall asleep, but she didn't. She was wired. She laid next to him, gripping his sweaty hand, still out of breath as she began to speak.

"I'm so glad you're here Sodapop, I love you, I really do. I've never said that to anyone, except my sister, but she's dead, and Soda, I just knew we were meant for each other when I saw you. Oh, let's run away together. That's what I want more than anything! Let's run away and get married and forget this shit place! We can forget everything."

If the physical part wasn't bad enough, listening to her ramble on and on was not only annoying, but heart wrenching.

"What do you say?" she asked finally, looking over at him with glowing, sparkling eyes through the dark. She was so damned beautiful, but so insane that she was repulsive. He knew he could never love her, even if he forced himself.

"I can't Angie, I can't…"

"Why not?" she screeched, sitting up. Her hand slipped from his.

"I like it here."

It only took three little murmured words to set her off.

Angie threw the covers off, rushed over to her dresser and put on a gown.

"Come over here," she commanded, "but get dressed first."

Soda obeyed, his head hanging the whole time. He looked like a repentant dog that had been whipped repeatedly. He grimaced as she chained him to the wall again. He'd been so close to freedom. He'd given her all he could, and it was for nothing.

"You can stay there till you change your mind." Angie growled before returning up the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

Hmm...I'll need one review before I'll post the next chapter, even if this chapter is boring, lol. The next two chapters is where the drama really happens, and I think some questions will be answered as well, so look forward to that :) Oh yeah, and the last bit...well, I know it isn't really needed, but I thought I hadn't put enough of Ponyboy in there, so...yeah.

* * *

The next morning Angie had decided to skip school. The sickness had occurred once more, and even if it had worn off by mid morning, she still wasn't in the mood. If Sodapop wasn't willing to run away with her last night, he would be soon. Hadn't he said he loved her through his actions? He wouldn't just tangle with her heart like that; he just didn't want to leave his brothers. But he couldn't love them more than her. He had to forget them.

Angie had convinced herself, after a long reflection that he would agree to go with her sometime soon.

After hearing details of Soda's horrendous experience, how he was taken advantage of by a girl and how Angie had kept the gun by her side during the whole experience, Darry began plotting again.

"You have to convince her you're sorry and that you'll go with her. She'll let us go, and then we can report her to the police. It's the only way."

Soda was about to object when footsteps sounded from the creaky wooden stairs. It was a dreaded sound that always meant Angie.

She entered the basement and was prepared to speak when she noticed how weary Ponyboy looked. The other boys were staring directly at her, but it was clear that they were concerned about him. The intensity of worry about their own survival had gone up a few notches as well. The reason being was how apparent her foul mood was. Her light airy step and the flowing of every movement that made her appear like a delicate dancer had gone. She now stalked like an agile cat, her shoulders forward slightly, one knee bent behind the other as if she was prepared to pounce or lunge at someone's throat. Had she decided to get rid of them…for good? Darry gulped.

"You need some sleep. I know something that'll put you out." She said. "I'll be right back."

She returned with one of the needles she hadn't used. She only used a third of it this time. She tossed the rest of it behind her. It met the wall with a clang.

"What did you do to him?" Darry yelled out, so shocked by her sudden act of kindness that he refused to believe she'd done something good for once.

"I'm only helping him to sleep, now shut your trap." She argued back harshly. There was a brief silence before she spoke again.

"You boys think that you have it bad, but you don't get it. You've always had each other. It's not fair. Why didn't I get to keep my sister?" she began, wringing her hands as she paced to and fro. "If they're what's holding you back, I'm going to have to get rid of them."

Soda gaped at her for a long moment before his face contorted with anger.

"No, they're not! And if you do anything to them, I'll kill myself before I'd go anywhere with you!"

Angie's eyes widened.

"I can't believe you'd scream at me. I thought you loved me."

Darry looked over at Sodapop, who looked fierce with anger that he felt he could no longer suppress. He felt as if his body was slowly being engulfed by flames. Somehow though -maybe it was the screaming instinct to save his brothers-, he managed to relax.

"I'm sorry, Angie. You need to give me another chance." He tried. Angie stuck her nose up in the air.

"I don't believe you. You have to prove it to me."

"How is he supposed to do anything chained to a goddamn wall?" Darry barked. A vein could be seen pulsing on his forehead.

"No, I'll decide for myself if I believe you. You're all stuck here until then." She raged before stomping up the stairs and slamming the door behind her.

Darry sighed loudly. A large bead of sweat rolled down his face and dropped off of his chin.

"I wonder if the guys will figure out a way to find us." He dreamed aloud.

"You think they're worried?" Soda asked, though he knew the answer.

"Of course they are." Darry replied, his voice dropped lower as he spoke again. "I'm sorry I made you go through with…"

"I had to do something," He said, giving Darry a look mixed with grief and courage.

For a moment Darry was going to remark just how much older and wiser his brother looked when he took on that expression. He was going to comment on how brave his scatter brained little brother had so suddenly become, but then he decided against it. He didn't want his brother to change and adopt that sullen attitude. He didn't want anything to change, but he knew that may just be a price they'd have to pay if they didn't get out soon.

* * *

"This blows, I'm sick of sitting around just waiting for something to happen." Steve said finally. They were all gathered at the vacant lot, trying to play a game of football. It wasn't the same without the three brothers that they were desperately trying to forget about.

"Sodapop was my buddy, if he was going somewhere, he'd tell me first."

"Maybe they're being held for ransom." Two-Bit joked. No one laughed, but he tried to crack a smile for the sake of everyone else.

"We need to start looking for them."

Everyone glanced around at each other. Only Dally seemed to have an objection. He took a long drag on his cigarette before speaking.

"How are we gonna do that all by ourselves?" He asked, scowling.

"We'll need all the help we can get." Steve said.

"I could ask some kids at school." Two-Bit offered.

"I know some people." Dally muttered.

"Get whoever you can, we'll meet here tomorrow and start looking. We'll go door to door." Steve announced.

They all went their separate ways, except for Johnny, who tagged along with Dally for the sake of not having to go home early. He wished desperately for Ponyboy to send him some sort of sign. He felt like he was collapsing under the pressure of numberless immense questions. Were they alive or dead? Who took them? Will they hurt someone else?

* * *

Sleep was a blessing for Ponyboy, but it brought to him dreams of agony and endless frustration. The first dream of was the last day he'd been outside. He'd come home from school hungry, searched in the kitchen for a snack, and went outside to have a smoke with Johnny before he headed back in to start on his homework. It was all going routine, until out of nowhere, _she_ began to appear. Every so often, he'd see her in the corner of his eye, and then the moment he whipped his head around to get a better look, she'd disappear.

Following that dream was one where he was searching frantically through a gray building which there was no way out of. He never saw a window or a door - all that occupied the hallways were light bulbs that emitted a low light because they were halfway burned out. This dream was the one that occupied most of the long period of his unconsciousness. It seemed forever he was searching for a way out. It's a pity that he couldn't even get an escape in his dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

Alrighty! Two chapters in one day...you better love me for it. lol. Hope you enjoy. I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

When Angie went to school the following day things had done a whole one eighty degree turn. She approached her followers that morning to see that they had disclaimed her.

"We're sick of your bitchiness." The newfound leader, Trish, said to Angie the moment she arrived. All of the girls had turned to face her, and they glared coldly at the girl who had tormented them with insults and snooty remarks all year. The only one smiling was Carmen. This had all been her idea, and thanks to Angie's absence, she was able to enact her grand scheme: convince the girls to get rid of Angie.

"Bitchiness? Aren't you a bit out of line, Trish? Last I heard you were sleeping with two different guys on the football team." Angie spat. Of course it wasn't true. Angie had started that sick rumor nearly two weeks ago. She smiled in spite of herself as she recalled Trish's pure horror upon hearing what people were saying about her.

"Oh you _know_ that didn't happen, but do you know what did happen Angie? Do you remember what you did with Anthony at your last party? You guys did it in front of everyone."

"I was drunk. I think you were well aware that you were being a slut when you were with Connor in the locker room." Angie retorted icily.

"Shut the hell up Angie! We're all sick of you!" Carmen yelled out, jumping defensively in front of Trish. It was a bad move on her part.

Angie gritted her teeth and decided not to waste her breath. She used her fists instead.

Knuckle made contact with nose, a sickening crack was heard, and a pain filled shriek was sounded, along with a chorus of appalled gasps and noises. Carmen shrank back, holding her nose, her hand beginning to drip with blood. Trish jumped in and attempted to smack Angie, but failed. Her futile attempt only made her hand make contact with air. Angie took a step back, and while Trish was regaining her balance, tackled her, threw her to the ground, and pinned her there.

She was leaning over her, snickering as Trish looked up in fear. Smack! Smack! Smack!

Angie was slapping her face repeatedly. Trish was wringing her hands in the fabric of Angie's shirt, trying to rip it off of her, but it didn't help any. The force of the slaps did not lessen. At last Trish became motionless and allowed her head to loll to the side in defeat. Tears were glistening on her bright red cheeks.

A crowd had gathered around to watch. Mouths hung wide open, feet were ready to spring into action if the fight went too far, and some were chanting. It wasn't often that a girl fight so vicious occurred in the school yard. A tense excitement hung in the air. They were all so fascinated that no one had bothered to run in and get an adult.

Angie rose and stood above Trish, laughing as she saw that she'd slapped her face raw.

To make her exit, Angie gave Trish a swift kick in the ribs before walking off. A long sob was heard the moment she turned away. People huddled around the victim, most of them forgetting Angie.

She eyed the group of bookworms who stared at her as she went in the building warily. She would warn them about not telling a teacher, or anyone for that matter, about what she'd done, but she saw that they were already frightened, as if they'd heard her threats before. No one wanted to mess with her, she realized, and she didn't quite know how to feel about it.

The day was horrible, but Angie couldn't have cared less. She skipped lunch and returned home to change into a shirt that hadn't been clawed through. In the hallways she ignored the looks she received. It had been her plan to finish high school, but now she had changed her mind. Now that what little of a good reputation that she'd had was gone, she was going to drop out. She wasn't going to sit through the horror of high school without any fun to accompany it.

Angie left the boys alone that evening and went out in search of some excitement. Her brain was tackling her with questions she didn't want to answer. She was beginning to wonder if she really could hold those three boys in her basement much longer. Their health was steadily going downhill, and it wouldn't be long till their sanity was deteriorating. Not one of them had shown signs of cracking just yet, but she knew it'd be soon. She didn't want demented boys in her basement. She'd only wanted to have a little fun, and then when she was done, run away with Sodapop, but it seemed her plan wasn't working. A part of her wondered what was going to happen next. Another part of her, the dominant part, was telling her that she could do whatever she wanted, and no matter how bad, she would get away with it.

She recalled having decided to get herself checked out, and rushed to set up an appointment for the doctor's the next day.

She then drove to the poorer part of town, where she wasn't known so well. She'd dressed for the occasion, and hoped that she'd blend in. She'd seen the rustic old place many times when she'd driven by the DX to stare longingly at Sodapop. She knew she would find what she was looking for there.

She spent the rest of the evening in that bar, which was in strictly greaser area, sipping a tangy mixed drink. They didn't seem to care that she was under aged – she was rich and could pay the fine, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Judy was taking her time in packing up the clothes. Mark had stormed off after their fierce argument, but she knew he'd be back. He was an old man, he wasn't going anywhere fast.

She'd never once mentioned it; actually, she'd preferred to keep it a secret because Judy didn't want anyone to know she was still clinging to a life that would never be hers again. At the bottom of her suitcase was a photo of her two daughters, smiling brilliantly under the mellow spring sun. Judy often found herself staring into it, remembering her two lovely daughters.

The day Angie had been born, Lindsey had only been four. They'd presumed Lindsey wouldn't be pleased; it was the natural reaction for a child to be jealous when a new baby was brought home, but Lindsey was overjoyed. You could imagine the shock of her parents. Neither of them ever understood why Lindsey loved her little sister so much. Besides being pretty, she had never been exactly a pleasant child. She was argumentative, wild, and uncontrollable. Nevertheless, their bond was unbreakable. It was easy to tell Angie loved her sister more than her own mother.

"I don't think I ever gave you a chance, did I?" She said, looking at the little girl that resembled her so much. Maybe she had been wild, but they'd spoiled her and never once punished her for her devilish deeds. Judy felt that most of the blame fell on her shoulders, that it was her fault her child was so despictable.

Her thoughts came to a halt when the door creaked open. Judy fumbled to hurriedly stuff the picture back into the suitcase.

"Are you sure about this?" it was her husband. He wore a weary expression.

"I have to at least try. She's my daughter. There has to be something I can do." Judy sounded strong, her voice was even and confident, but she herself was doubtful. What if her daughter shunned her like before?

"She might hate us, but we can't give up on her." Judy said, as if she were answering her internal doubts aloud. Mark sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair.

"I'm doing this because I love you, you know that don't you?"

Judy smiled and approached her husband. She planted a kiss on his cheek and wrapped her arms around his strong neck.

"I know." She replied in a warm whisper that tickled Mark's skin. She was still young, beautiful, and vibrant. He couldn't help but to wonder why she'd stuck with him all this time.

* * *

"Have we met before?"

Angie turned to face the bold man who had dared to speak to her. He obviously wasn't familiar with her wrath.

Just as she was about to unleash her rage upon him with a witty, smart aleck comeback, she realized something. She had seen him somewhere before, but she wasn't quite sure where.

Angie didn't reply, she just stared at the young man until something clicked.

"You work at the DX, don't you?"

He looked taken aback, and he replied hastily.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I got my car fixed there one time by…Sodapop." The name made something in her chest ache. Was it her heart? Did she even have one?

Something in her subconscious pushed her forward. She took yet another sip, this time a larger one. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but she craved the drink more than anything. She loved the way it slithered hotly down her throat, how the aftertaste lingered for hours.

"Uh…yeah." His discomfort was obvious. Angie seized the opportunity to learn more about Sodapop.

"I know what happened." She batted her eyelashes and attempted a sad pout. "What was he like?"

"He was a good buddy."

"Was? Are you so sure he's dead?" She cocked one brow questioningly.

"We can't find him or any of them…we've looked everywhere." Angie observed with secret joy that he had yielded to the pressure and was beginning to give up on finding his friend. Good, that was good.

"You know, he could be right under your nose. Don't give up so easily." She smiled knowingly. Steve wasn't sure how to respond to the girl. For someone he'd never met, she sure seemed to know a lot.

"Well, since you haven't offered to buy me a drink, I think I'll be leaving now." Angie jumped down from her stool and started towards the door.

"Hey!" He called out, going after her. Angie stopped and turned to face Steve. She could see the despondency in his eyes, and she saw the reason he was at this bar. He wanted to forget about his woes, just as she had a time ago when she felt everything was crumbling down. She decided then that she liked Steve.

"Just take my number…in case you see or hear anything." Steve handed her a scrap of paper he'd pulled from his pocket. Angie snickered, thinking to herself that he'd come prepared. She wouldn't be surprised to find more little scraps with his number scrawled on it in his pockets.

"I'll notify you if I do." Angie promised before bustling out.

She giggled the whole way home. Oh, the irony of the situation.


	9. Chapter 9

I think I dropped some subtle hints as to what Angie's sickness is, and in this chapter you find out. Here comes the drama! Enjoy, and thanks for the reviews. :)

* * *

It felt to be suitable punishment, leaving those boys down there to starve for a day. The next morning she fed them all cold spaghetti, and laughed as they struggled to lick the sauce off of their face and chins. She then remarked on how foul they smelled before she was rudely reminded by Darry that she was the cause of their stench. Angie had slapped him across the face, and he didn't mutter another word.

Ponyboy was in worse shape than he had been prior to receiving Angie's medicine, and the whole day before his two brothers had been fretting and worrying over him.

He'd grown a sickly pale, almost yellow. His legs had given out, and he had dangled from the wall for so long that dark bruises had formed around his wrists. Seeing his brother in such condition made Sodapop determined to get him out of that place, even if it meant another horrific encounter with Angie.

Angie was preparing for the doctor's appointment she'd made when her mother called.

"Hello? Angie dear, we're coming back. I'm going to try to make things right between us."

Angie had slammed the phone down and ran out of the house as quickly as she could. It was raining hard outside, and she'd neglected to bring an umbrella. By the time she'd climbed in her car she was soaked.

As she waited for her results in the waiting room, she let the whirring of health devices and the sound of soft voices flowing through the halls fade into the background. It was the second time she'd been in a waiting room, and since the first time had been etched in her memory like a scar, gruesome flashbacks ensued.

Anxious feet were tapping on the floors, her parents were mumbling to each other, offering comfort to one another, but not to their grief stricken child who sat silently and rigidly. Little Angie couldn't get the image of the expression of pure fear on her sister's face just before she'd been knocked a good twenty feet by a car that had been speeding. It'd been a hit and run. Angie had run to her sister's aid, she'd shaken her shoulders and tried to wake her up, but every effort she'd made only made more blood spill out onto the road. At last another car passed and they sent for an ambulance.

No one told Angie that it was too late for her sister. She spent hours upon hours waiting for some news on a cold metal chair, all the time trying to remain hopeful as her sister would've if the situation were reversed. She was unable. She had numbed her feelings to such an extent that by the time she'd heard the fatal words, it seemed to have made no difference. Instead of being concerned, her parents were appalled. They didn't understand their child's nature, they were so fearful of it that they did not question it.

It was a sense of déjà vu, because now she was doing the exact same thing. She was numbing herself so that she could hide her reaction to the news.

"Well Miss Angie," the doctor strode out, clipboard in hand, and a look of disappointment twisting his thick white brows together.

Angie stood up and folded her arms over her chest, her teeth chattering a little. The ends of her red hair was still wet, and it clung to her fair shoulders.

"I don't know how you are going to tell your parents this, but as far as I can tell, you're pregnant."

Angie bit down hard on her lip to stifle the oncoming gasp of horror. She'd never once thought she had been _pregnant_, but it did make sense.

"I was a little bit tipsy, he took advantage of me." She squeaked.

"You'll have to talk to the police about that."

Angie nodded fiercely and left without another word.

She returned home shaking, cold, and bitter. Her mind whirled at how everything had taken such a terrible turn in the past week. Now everyone despised her, her parents were coming home soon, she was pregnant, and due to all these things, she would have to let the boys go soon. She didn't consider the fact that maybe she was being punished, she only prattled on about how it was unfair in a low quivering voice.

What she did next was all on a whim. She opened her parents' safe, took all of the money out, and packed a small bag of clothing. She was reluctant to open the basement door, but she did it anyway, feeling that she had to hurry.

"I can't keep you here anymore, I have to go, I have to leave now. But I'm not going alone." She faced Sodapop, who was as bewildered as his companions. "I don't care if you hate me or if you'd rather kill yourself than even be with me. I have to have someone go with me, I can't just do everything alone anymore!"

She scurried to unchain Darry, Ponyboy, and then Sodapop.

"You guys go wherever you want, he's staying with me." She had grasped Soda's wrist tightly. "You can tell the police whatever you want. They won't be able to find me."

Darry lifted Ponyboy and ran out, saying a short goodbye to his brother. He was too afraid to stay longer. Angie had a gun tucked in her bra, and she'd use it if she had to.

Being outside was exhilarating. Soda stood in the rain for a good few minutes and let it pound all the sweat out of his skin. Angie waited with him, holding his hand tightly. She didn't scold him, she didn't rush him. She wordlessly let the rain drench her.

"Where are we going?" Sodapop asked as Angie pulled out of the driveway. Her tires screeched loudly in protest, and he noted that dark tire marks had left their print on the pavement.

"I don't know, we're just getting out of here." She was about to explain to him everything, but fear petrified her and formed a lump in her throat. He made her feel self conscious. She cared about him, and because of that, she was angry with herself for drinking the night before. She wanted to rip her hair out for ever drinking in the first place. She knew he'd be disappointed with her. If she had any chance, this news would spoil it.

But Angie swallowed boldly and decided to tell him anyway. She was never one to back down.

"I couldn't stop thinking about her…every time I looked at my hands there was blood on them, and I couldn't wash it off. I _wanted_ release _so terribly_. I almost killed myself I drank so much, and I barely remember it, but I know I did something while I was drunk and I feel so stupid for it."

Once again, Angie had managed to surprise him. At the moment she looked and sounded so incredibly human that he wanted to pity her. He wanted to reach over and comfort her like he would anyone else.

Then he remembered the shape Ponyboy was in and looked away from her tear streaked face.

"I don't want this…this stupid _thing_. I want to rip out my insides and kill it. I don't _need_ a baby."

The blood drained out of his face. He was staring out of the window, looking out at the dismal passing scenery of pounding rain. The moment he heard _baby_ he forgot everything else.

"What are you going to do with it?" He asked, turning to look at the red eyed girl who was clenching the steering wheel too tightly.

"I'm not going to keep it, I'll get rid of it."

"You're not going to kill it." He said. It was not a question, it was a demand. He surmised a short moment later that telling Angie to do or not to do anything was crazy, but amazingly, she listened.

"I won't, if you want it, you can have it."

"I don't want it. I don't want you to keep it either, but don't kill it."

"I won't." her voice had turned soft.

The rain didn't cease, instead, it pounded harder against the windshield. After a silent twenty minutes, Angie pulled over and waited for the rain to quit.

"It's my fault. I should've been the one who ran out in front of that car. I was the one who threw the ball across the street. I was too little to understand that Lindsey was all I had."

She leaned her head against the steering wheel and cried for the first time in years.


	10. Chapter 10

There won't be a new chapter for awhile. It's spring break baby! Thanks for the reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

The first thing Darry attended to was Ponyboy. He hitched a ride to the hospital. The driver recognized both of them from photos that had been put in the paper, and immediately notified the police.

It didn't take long for the news to leak out. Darry was sitting in the waiting room when the sound of heavy footsteps flooded his ears. Before he could look up, he was being hugged and tackled by his friends. Dally gave him a slap on the back. He was the first to say anything.

"Where have you guys been all this time?"

"You haven't heard yet?" Darry asked with slight hope that they had. He didn't want to explain what he'd just escaped from.

"Where's Sodapop?" Steve asked.

Darry sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"One question at a time," He muttered as he grew continually frustrated. Sure, he was glad to see his friends again, but he had a lot of his shoulders at the moment.

They all waited patiently. Dally pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and offered it to Johnny, who seemed a bit nervous from all of the racket the boys had caused.

"Sodapop had to go with that stupid broad that kidnapped us."

"You got kidnapped by a broad?" Two-Bit was on the verge of erupting into laughter, but then everyone shot him a look. This was serious.

"She kept us tied down in her basement."

"How the hell did she get you there in the first place?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. I just remember a needle…"

Everyone was silent. Steve had figured that whoever this girl was, she'd had assistance. He wasn't exactly partnered up with the police, but he would tell them about this. If there was a witness, they needed to step forward.

"C'mon, get up. Ponyboy'll be fine. You need to take a shower." Dally instructed, pulling Darry up with his hand.

He would usually protest. He wanted to stay with Ponyboy. He couldn't leave the only brother he had left, but he realized that his friends were turning their heads away and grimacing at his stench. He looked down at his t-shirt and saw dark sweat rings.

He would have to take a shower and change clothes before he could think about anything else.

* * *

Angie fell back onto the bed.

"I've always wanted to go to Florida…" she mused aloud.

Sodapop was walking around the hotel room. The paneling was cheap, the carpet had stains, and the bed was missing one leg, but Angie didn't seem to mind. For all she was, she didn't seem to be materialistic. From what he observed, she just seemed to be really screwed up.

"Is that where we're going?"

"I don't care." She sat up. "Where do you want to go?"

"I haven't been many places."

"I can imagine." She fell back onto the bed again. "I'm so tired."

"Well then, go to sleep." He knew he was kidding himself for thinking she would.

"I can't. You'll run off."

As much as he didn't want a replay of what had happened in her bedroom again, he realized he would need to earn her trust if he was ever going to be able to contact his brothers.

"Look, I'll lay beside you." He offered.

"Alright," Angie eyed him suspiciously, but wasted no time in wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close once he had laid down. He was like an oversized, warm, cuddly teddy bear. He smelled good too. They'd stopped at a shopping area and bought some soap and some 'more suitable' clothing. The first thing he'd done upon getting to the hotel had been to shower, and Angie was glad.

For a long time, she played with his hair. At last she fell asleep, much to Soda's relief. He wasn't the least bit comfortable, but while he was trapped, he decided to snooze a little too. He had to admit, it wasn't so bad.

* * *

"I'll bet the house's a wreck."

"I told Gloria to go in and check on it for us this morning." Judy replied. They'd made another stop. The closer they got to their daughter, the more frequently her husband decided to 'check out the town'. His temper was wearing, as if being in a certain range of his daughter would kill him.

They both jumped when the phone rang. Judy reached it first.

"Hello?"

"Judy?" It was the voice of their elderly neighbor, Gloria. She sounded panicked.

"What is it?" Judy tried to disguise her voice. She tried to keep the worry out of it as to not provoke her husband. She failed. He knew her too well.

"I'm sorry to tell you this but…the place is empty. There's been a rumor flying around about these boys and…oh goodness. Forgive me, but I think your daughter has run off with one of them."

"What?" Judy was stunned. "B-but…who?"

"I don't know anything for sure Judy, you'll have to find out yourself."

Judy slammed the phone down, leaving poor Gloria shocked. She shrugged wearily and went back to watering her windowsill plants.

"We're leaving right now, we can't wait any longer."

"What did she say?"

"I'll tell you in the car. Move, move, we have to hurry!"

Mark didn't bother questioning her. He knew better when she was like this. Instead, he stubbornly obliged.

"I wonder what she's done." Mark thought aloud. It earned him a glare from his wife, who was hurriedly shoving clothes in the suitcase. He offered to help, but she pushed him away. There was a clang as something fell out of the suitcase and hit the wooden floor.

Mark bent down to pick it up, but Judy had snatched it before he could manage to even glimpse at it.

"Let me see that." He demanded.

"No!" His wife shouted back.

"Damnit Judy, you're acting crazy!"

Judy let out a whimper and crumpled. She held out the picture for her husband to see. He took it gingerly.

"You still have this?" He croaked after a long silence.

"Of course I do Mark." She raised her tear streaked face from her knees.

Mark was overcome with pity for his poor wife. He was pummelled regret being so dismissive to her for so long about something that meant a lot to her. He suddenly recalled how devastated she had been when they'd lost Lindsey.

He knelt down beside her and tucked a few stray curls behind her ears.

"I'll do whatever I can to save her." He promised.

But little did they know that they were entirely too late.


	11. Chapter 11

Alright, it's a super short chapter, and honestly, I didn't put much time into it. I've been so busy with things lately...Anyway, I figured a short chapter is better than none at all, so enjoy...if you can.

* * *

She'd been driving for hours, and the whole time she had remained silent. It was entirely too long, and Sodapop knew it. Something was building up inside of her.

He wasn't sure where they were. Nearly an hour ago he was sure that they were passing through Kentucky, but now he wasn't sure if this whole thing was something his crazy imagination had conjured up.

* * *

The first thing the two of them took notice of was the tire marks in the driveway. Judy recalled the short conversation she'd had with her neighbor, and held back her tears. She had sensed she was too late.

They stepped out of the car, and for the first time in a long time, took a look at the house they had once inhabited. The morning glory vines that once wrapped gloriously around their porch columns were brown and withered. The garden that was once in front of the house suffered the same fate. On the upper floor, the window to the study was cracked. This was due to one of Angie's wild parties, something they still did not know of.

The door wasn't locked. They proceeded inside warily, their footsteps soft.

It all looked neat. Too neat. Neat as in never used. A layer of dust coated everything. Flowers had shriveled up and died in a vase that was placed in the kitchen window. Angie had never bothered to dispose of them.

Her heart pounding, Judy went upstairs. Mark went to check every room on the way, but giving in to her instincts, Judy ran straight to her daughter's bedroom, and inside, found a shrine to a boy she'd never seen before. A chill ran through her as she examined each and every one of the drawings.

The bed was unmade. Clothing was on the floor, some half hanging out of her dresser. Judy whirled around when Mark began shouting.

"It's empty! She's taken all of the money!" Mark yelled as he stared into the empty safe that had been pried open. When Judy reached the room, she trembled.

"She's run away." She mouthed. The words wouldn't come out.

Nevertheless, Mark understood. He took his wife into his arms, and mainly for the reason that he did not want her to see his agony over the loss of money to a devious daughter.

The search wasn't over yet though, and after they parted, Judy led the way to the basement, where, to their horror, shackles would be found. The room smelled putrid, of rotten food, urine, waste and sweat. The place had been converted into a dungeon.

Even Mark, who had suspected his daughter was a cruel being, hadn't expected this. Judy jumped from conclusion to conclusion, and tried to reason with herself. She tried to find a suiting scenario, one where her daughter was innocent, and the victim. To her misfortune, it was clear that her daughter had held _someone_ captive. The more closely they examined the scene, the more evidence they found. The needles, a blond hair, hell, even the smell was enough.

"What do we do?" Judy asked fearfully. Just then a thud was heard on the door. They rushed up together, glad for an excuse to be out of that hellish room.

"We need you to answer a few questions for us."

It was the police. Mark and Judy stared at each other, stunned.

* * *

"I'll…" she looked and sounded tired, "you can call them, if you want."

Sodapop was awakened from his daze. Angie was slowing to a stop beside a telephone booth.

Sodapop readily agreed to her conditions, and hardly paid attention to her presence as she hovered over him the whole time.

"Darry?"

"Sodapop?! Where are you?" The voice on the other line was loud and rushed.

"I can't tell you that."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Where…where is she?"

Sodapop peered over at her and bit his lip.

"She's right next to me."

There was a fuss. Someone was trying to snatch the phone. Darry asserted himself holding up his fist.

"You'll be home soon buddy, I swear."

"I know…how's Pony?"

"He'll be fine in a week or so."

There was a long silence.

"I'll call the next time I can." Soda assured his older brother.

He then hung up. His hate tank for Angie had been refueled. He shot her a glare as they both stepped back into the car.


	12. Chapter 12

SOOO....Yep. New chapter. This one may not make much sense...I wrote it when it was late, but I'm so busy I haven't had the time to proofread it. Hope you enjoy though!

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Angie wasn't quite certain when she decided that there was only one way out of this horrific situation she'd gotten herself into. The obvious jail time she would have to do seemed nothing in comparison to carrying a child she didn't want.

She gripped the steering wheel tighter in an effort to brace off the thoughts and concentrate solely on driving. Her tendons grew white. Chill bumps slithered like a snake up her arm. Sodapop didn't notice the growing tension. He'd been brooding silently, staring out into the blackness for about an hour or so.

He just wanted to be home. He felt like a bird whose wings had been clipped. It was like he was suffocating under her tyrannous control. Before it had been bearable…he'd been cooped up inside her basement. But now he saw the world. He saw kids laughing, couples holding hands, people smiling. Never once had he thought that it'd come to a day when he'd be thinking _why can't I be like them_?

Sometime in the early morning Sodapop dozed off. He woke with a start when he heard the car door slam. Angie was stepping back into the car.

He rubbed his aching hand to the side of his face in frustration. He could've so easily just slipped out into the night…

"Sodapop…"

He looked up. She was vulnerable again. He was going to take the chance, he was going to beg her to free him. Something in her eyes told him she would. But she stunned him yet again.

"I…I want you to watch the sunrise with me. Just…one last thing."

_One last thing_…

The words rang through his mind like gun shots in a distant mountain. He couldn't dissect the words, he couldn't read Angie. He became stiff out of fear of what she was going to do. Would she drive both of them over a cliff? Would she kill herself?

The car rumbled to life once more and then continued down the ribbon of black road.

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"Mark…how could she do this?" Judy was no longer panicking. She was no longer alert, no longer trying to dodge, dig, or lie her way out of the truth. At last she had accepted it.

Angie had lost it, or perhaps, never even had it.

Mark only half listened. He was too busy listening to the low chatter of the police who were poking around in his basement.

"Honey?"

"Hm?" Mark turned to his wife. She was kneading her hands and staring into his eyes expectantly.

"I don't know how much longer I can stand this." She rose from the floral print couch that had once been her mother's and paced around the room.

"They'll leave soon enough, dear."

"That's not it Mark, I just can't take it any longer! There has to be something wrong with me. I was given two perfectly normal girls and I've lost both of them. This…Angie is our fault Mark."

Mark only shook his head, still refusing to believe her. There was nothing wrong with them, they were perfectly sane…but Angie, she'd always been a little imp. Oh, he'd never say it, but he was almost sure it had been her who'd killed her sister.

"What she did to those boys is our fault."

She had stopped pacing. She stood in front of Mark with her hands in her hair.

Mark moved to speak with her, to console her, but she backed away like a frightened kitten.

"No, don't touch me. I'm going to apologize to those boys, if you're coming with me, tell me now."

They both knew there was more meaning behind this phrase than was on the surface.

Mark still refused. He loved his wife, just not who she was becoming.

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A knock sounded from the door, something that was unusual. Darry parted his way through the clutter and the rambunctious boys and went to the door. He took a swift glance at Ponyboy, who laid sickly on the couch. He was watching a television show that Two-Bit had turned on.

"Excuse me I just…"

The woman with the large round brown eyes and the copper colored hair was strikingly pretty for her age. Darry wouldn't have hesitated to let her in if the house had been presentable.

"I'm…oh goodness. I don't know how to begin."

"You can come in, if you like." Darry offered after giving her a strange look. She bore a slight resemblance to a certain someone that he'd rather not be thinking about.

"No, no…out here will be just fine. Can we sit down?"

They both sat. Judy sighed and rubbed her hands together. It was cold, but that didn't matter.

"I'm Angie's mother."

And the she launched into the whole story of Angie's childhood. She then rambled on, and after every sentence, threw in numerous apologies.

"We just didn't understand her…we…I'm sorry about all of this."

When she finished, Darry's face was solemn and pale. He had been through so much shit in that girl's basement, and he wasn't about to pity her when she had his brother. But something inside of him told him that he should pity the girl. He decided at last that a miserable life was no justification for her cruel deeds.

He let Judy go after she had told her story. He didn't want to talk to Judy. Had she been anyone else's mother he could've listened to her for hours. She just simply looked too much like Angie.

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"If you can hitch a ride back, you can go home." Angie said at last. The sun had tainted her face a bright orange. Her hair shimmered gloriously under the light. Sodapop didn't dare to object. He sprinted off.

Freedom at last, he thought. He didn't look back at the lonely figure in the meadow.

She sat in a surreal golden meadow. When she drove by she knew it was the perfect place. It was the last time she was going to see the sun. It was the last time she would ever see Sodapop.

She didn't look for him when she headed back to her vehicle. She took the bottles of liquor and headed back out to the spot in the meadow. She sucked in a whiff of the musky scent of pines. For a short moment as she reminisced, she could almost hear his soft breathing. Just a moment ago he had been sitting next to her…

But not willingly, she realized at last.

So she gave in. Maybe she'd staved off the urge for what seemed like forever, but there had been purpose then, and there was none now.

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"Is she still breathing?" The anxious bystander asked.

"I don't know…" The man replied worriedly as his fingers searched through the dark for a pulse.

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Ooooh! Cliff hanger! Is our beloved Angie dead? I don't know yet. :)


	13. Chapter 13

If you reviewed, I thank you. :) I know, not much interaction in this chapter. It's more of a turning point.

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Angie sat up wearily. Her mind was racing, her little heart went like a rabbit's, and painfully thudded against her chest. She sucked in a breath of overwhelming air. It was tense air. An air thick with the smell of medicine and medical equipment…the too clean smell that Angie always associated with hospitals. She hated any place by that name.

Angie was sure the bright lights that killed her eyes weren't Heavenly beams of lightning, no, it was sunlight pouring through a window some stupid nurse had neglected to close the blinds over. She groaned and tried to relax her tense muscles, to no avail.

How dare they save her! How dare they take her sister's life and preserve her useless one!

It all came rushing back. The boys, the basement, the fight at school, Sodapop's face plastered all around her room…and the fact that he would never love her.

Angie was so accustomed to not caring that when her throat choked out a sickening noise, she could hardly understand what the guttering sound was. Then she realized it was a cry, a sob.

How horrible it was that it wasn't over! She would have to follow through with everything! The jail time, the hatred of those who surrounded her, being out casted once she was finally free, and the baby. The baby. If it was just his, it wouldn't matter so much. She could bind him to her with the excuse of a child, but to Angie's misfortune, she was carrying a mistake, and its father was a drunken idiot. Maybe I've killed it, she hoped vainly.

Her hopes were vanquished when the doctor strode in. After an initial check up, he began to explain everything.

"A group of campers found you in a field. You were lucky." Lucky? She almost groaned. Her head ached, her body was sore, and she felt broken.

He went on to say a few tests had been run and that, though she may be at risk for miscarriage, it was unlikely. How he knew she was pregnant, she didn't question. She was too sick of it all to question things anymore.

"We found no identification."

Angie hadn't spoken yet, she'd only stared dully at the doctor and he tinkered around with various medical equipment.

"My name's Madeline, Madeline Rose." Her voice was too clear and too sure to be hers, she thought.

"Who are your parents?"

"They're dead. I've been living mostly to myself."

Oh, the lies just came too easily. She wasn't going to regret a single one of them. She had little, or rather, nothing to live for, but she'd rather live freely than pregnant and in a jail cell.

He didn't seem to buy the story, but she kept pursuing. She went deeper and deeper into it.

"We lived in the woods, a bit away from here. I never went to much school; my mother taught me a lot. I burned down the house a few days ago and hiked out."

No, there was no Madeline Rose on record, but then again, she'd never been far from home, thought the doctor. She had been born in the woods and had never been ill. Of course there would be no record of her.

"My daddy was a drinker, and I always thought it would just be the way to go, like my old gramps. It looked so easy."

When he left a few moments later, after her lengthy narrative of lies, a bit teary eyed, Angie smiled crookedly. She was so quick witted it was astounding.

Madeline…that's my name. Maddie for short. She thought again and again, and eventually, it was easy to discard Angie for Maddie.

It suited her better anyway.

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When Sodapop arrived home, a parade of friends and acquaintances flooded the Curtis home. Some cried, some laughed, all smiled and silently thanked whatever force it was that brought beloved Soda back home. He had nothing to say of his experience, and instead changed the subject whenever someone tried to speak of it.

When the crowd dispersed and everyone had fallen asleep, Darry went outside and found Sodapop on the porch, his head in his hands.

"Something bothering you?" He didn't want to press his younger sibling. He knew all too well the stress he was under. Let him sort it out himself, he can talk later, Darry thought.

"Ang..." He cringed as the name came from his mouth. Darry noticed but said nothing. He waited for a moment, and then Sodapop resumed.

"She was…going to have a kid Dar. I think she's killed herself. She's been through a lot of…I just don't know what to think anymore."

"Don't put any of the blame on yourself kid, it's not your fault." Darry stated before turning and going back inside. There was nothing anyone could do but be patient with Sodapop.

Soda looked gloomily out into the night. He had been so glad to be home only a few hours before, but now he hated it. Why was it that the cruel people like Angie had nice homes and all the good boys he knew didn't? His brain racked itself with questions that he'd never even considered before all of the traumatic events that had occurred recently.

And to think, it hadn't even been that long. Tomorrow he would be up and working again, and he would do it gladly, but something about it all just didn't seem right.


	14. Chapter 14

I know it's been forever...a hurricane of crap entered my life for awhile.

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"I'm leaving you everything."

"All of it?" Angie's eyes lit up at the prospect, but she wasn't truly happy that her husband was dying. The one time I don't wish death on someone they go off and die on me, she thought bitterly.

"Maddie, you're the loveliest woman who ever lived, and I want you and Sarah to have a perfect life." His words were soft and weak. Sweat covered his dark, heavy brow.

Angie, now known as Maddie, looked soberly down upon her wheezing husband. He'd been so good to her. No, she didn't love the man, but she admired him, and with Angie, that proved to be a feat. She never went out of her way for the man, but she did care about him.

Maddie met the plain looking, middle aged Ronald Tree at the hospital. His mother was suffering with some sort of influenza, and he wasn't even allowed to see her. When she learned he was a wealthy man, she used his hour of need to her advantage. She shared her false life story of tragedy and he readily allowed her to move in with her.

Ron wasn't a pretty man. He was short and stumpy. His arms were covered with thick black hair, as was his face, but his eyes were a soft brown and kind. The most appealing aspect of the man was his money. Maddie flirted until he asked for her hand in marriage. They moved off to New York and lived happily with their newborn, Sarah, until disaster struck. Poor Ron was smothering with a fever, and seemingly nothing could cool it down.

Sarah, a little toddler of two, sat outside in the waiting room with a nurse. She wasn't exceptionally bright, but she was pretty. Her skin was pure and pale, her eyes were a sparkling green, and her hair was a mass of chocolate curls. To her own surprise, Maddie liked her. She was sweet and bubbly, just like her sister had been so long ago. It was almost as if she filled the hole in her heart.

Maddie, whose hair had been dyed a dark black in an effort to keep people from recognizing her, leaned over her husband, listening intently to his whispers about the will. Everything was hers, but she didn't want it. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted until she was ushered out of the room by a frantic nurse. Poor Ron, who loved Maddie with all of his heart, was fading fast.

She took Sarah from the frumpy nurse who had been coddling her and held her in her arms.

"We're moving." She decided as she looked into the emerald eyes.

The child gazed at her in wonder, her thumb in her mouth. Maddie smiled cheerfully.

No, she didn't care if she was sent to jail. She wanted to see Sodapop again.

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The boys were scattered. Ponyboy was busy in his first year of college, Sodapop was trying to earn some extra money so that he could finally marry and settle down with Sandy, and Darry was too busy himself to pay any mind to the other two.

It seemed the crisis that was Angie had been forgotten. The gang never spoke of it. No one said a word about Angie's mysterious disappearance. The only one who cared was her mother, and her mother was an uncared for divorced woman whose ex husband frequented bars and drank himself into a stupor every night. Their whole neighborhood thought it scandalous that they had divorced, and yet still lived together, and never spoke to either of the sullen creatures.

It might seem that she was forgotten in the Curtis household, but she wasn't. The name Angie made their hair stand up and put a sour taste in their mouths. All of them had, at one point, had a sleepless night due to nightmares of her. Sodapop experienced this more than any of them, but he kept it to himself. His life was finally going in the direction he wanted it to go, and nothing could stop him. Angie was gone, possibly even dead, and she wasn't going to come back.

Or so they thought…


	15. Chapter 15

Alrighty! Time to finish this thing!

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Maddie went out of her way to look inconspicuous, almost to the point that she looked especially conspicuous. Eyes were drawn to her dark apparel, her dark hair, her long dark eyelashes, and her pale white skin. She shone like a ghost under the street light, and she hoped that she would be able to maneuver about the town in the same manner as a ghost would.

Sarah was stomping about angrily. She hadn't slept the whole trip, and she was unbelievably cranky. Maddie could pay no mind to her. She was too set on finding a hotel at such a late hour.

After awhile, growing irritated of constantly tugging on her child's hand, Maddie hoisted her up and carried her. She walked several tiring blocks until she found a place that would let her stay on such short notice.

Once Sarah was put to bed, Maddie could stand it no longer. Her veins felt on fire, her thoughts were racing, her heart was throbbing. She could not stand lying in bed when she was so close to where Soda slept. It was unbearable. She could _not_ wait till morning.

She sprung up from the stiff mattress, dressed quickly, and bolted down the halls, not caring whether her thuds woke the other people who were probably trying to sleep. She only cared that Sarah wasn't woken up, and the little girl was such a heavy sleeper that a bucket of water would hardly make her budge. It was a trait, Maddie realized with a grimace, that she'd acquired from her father.

Maddie, even in the pitch black night, knew where the Curtis household was. It was as if she were a dog, in dire need of food, chasing a scent. She tore through bushes, stumbled over rocks. She didn't give the vague shadows of the night a second glance.

Dark, empty shells of houses flew past her, or rather, she flew past them. One house, a short distance away, still had its lights on. It illuminated the street with a pale yellow glow. Blue shadows cast themselves in the front yard, silhouetting a couple in a loving embrace. It was the Curtis' household, and either Ponyboy had grown, or her Sodapop was staring lovingly into the eyes of another girl.

Her original plan, upon seeing the bright, lit up house, was to be discreet and hide in the shadows. However, her original plan was forgotten when fury surged through her. She drew her pocket knife from between her breasts and stalked forward.

The couple was too infatuated to notice, that is, until she stepped into the light.

Sodapop would've guessed her for a lost, frightened woman, if only he hadn't seen her golden, catlike eyes glisten. Those were the eyes that had haunted his dreams, and would haunt his dreams, for a lifetime.

"What are you thinking?" Maddie shrieked wildly, her lips curling over her teeth menacingly. She flicked the knife out after fumbling for a few short moments.

Sandy stood, horrified, clinging to Sodapop. Maddie lunged forward to stab her before either could think to move.

And then she fell face flat on the ground, her ears ringing.

Sodapop and Sandy jerked their heads up at the sound of the shot, both relieved to see Dally ambling towards them, a sly smile on his face.

"Crazy bitch," he muttered as he stared down at her.

Maddie summoned the strength to roll over. She gasped and choked when her attempt to get up became futile and she fell back onto the grass. She coughed and sputtered, wishing she could think of something to say as the blood trickled down her cheeks.

The three of them watched her wild eyes as she searched for Soda's face. All she could see was the dark sky above her, and even it was blurred beyond recognition. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Please…" she coughed again, "get Sarah, get Sarah."

She reached to wipe away her tears with a trembling hand, and found, with what appeared to be wild curiosity, that it was covered with blood.

Blood that was pooling beneath her.

Her eyes rolled back in her head. Sandy shivered, and Sodapop, deciding that there was nothing left to do but call the police, turned, took Sandy's hand, and went into the house.

"Hey, you know who she was talking about? Sarah, I mean?" Dally called out before the door was shut.

"No clue," Sodapop replied, his voice tired and shaky.

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It took the police four months to put the puzzle pieces together, but at last, the mystery of Angie's disappearance was solved. Angie was buried beside her husband, under the name 'Maddie' which her poor, deceived husband had always known her by. Not even her own parents bothered to attend her burial.

But they (her parents) did have one thing to thank Angie for, and that was the beautiful little granddaughter Sarah, who brought them together again and brought life back into their lives. The little ray of sunshine filled every haunted corner of their house with light, and after a year, they happily remarried and moved away to a small town in Florida. They tried to never think of Angie again, and no one who knew Angie and what she had done, could blame them.

Sodapop gladly forgot the last chapter of his life when he bought an apartment and started a new chapter with Sandy. The Curtis household put the memories and thoughts of Angie to rest, just as the police had closed her case.

At last the world was turning again at a steady, rhythmic pace, and no one could give a care if Angie herself was turning in her grave.

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Alright, so I killed her...but the title of the story totally foreshadows her death, even if it does seem like it's too soon. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks to all my reviewers and readers!


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